Lotus

TCD i think

Have you finished it already? Christ, that was quick! Thought there would have been more about Robert just because of the sheer impact the 2 of them made to our team.

Anything about Robert?

Looks like they've got Michael J Fox in as the backtothefuturogram

Here's another one, L .

Sounds like you think Bent has more attributes than Cisse. Do you think we could afford Bent? Would it be worth keeping Cisse as his understudy (in your opinion)? Why would I want Bent if we have Cisse? I've just said they're similar. I want someone with a different style to Cisse. Build-up play is key. Ideally a Berbatov type or Benteke Benteke i can see, he's done well and can seem to scare defenders without any help! Berbs, i don't know. We don't have MFs who break beyond the forwards so if someone like Berbs came deep, nice little lay off.......no one making the run into space. Problem. I see where you're coming from, a strong quick guy we can hit it direct to, maybe even a long diagonal and he can worry the defenders, maybe get us a corner or a throw in and the whole team can move up the pitch. Territorial advantage. I think Cisse exacerbates our midfield woes. With Berbatov, he's inviting you to give him the ball from feet - to chest height. That draws players' closer as well as him going deeper. Marv/HBA would love to play off him at least. Cisse too. Berbatovs the type to come a little deep with his back to goal, lay it off quickly, turn around and head to goal. Where as you WANT Cisse facing the goal at all times, he's looking for the penetrative ball which is more difficult. As a midfielder, that style doesn't invite you to get close to him as Cisse wants to run towards goal at all times. Do you get what i'm trying to say? With someone that can hold it up, they invite others into play. With Cisse/Bent/Owen types they want to run the other way from you so there's no point looking to make those runs. I understand you very well. But e Berbs type forward who woukld come deep, lay it off and then jog up the field wouldn't do much for us. You're just confused there. Probs didn't think it through enough. Would be better if you said we need a Drogba type but then again, who doesn't?

I agree although i don't think it's totally about coaching, the player has to develop themselves. Walcott and Nani being examples of players at great clubs who must have great coaches but who's decision making has let them down.

Need to sign 2 strikers and winger minimum - probably Centre Half as well and look to get Sammy, Ferguson, Bigi, Campbell, Tav well bedded into the Squad. I was talking on top of what we have. So replacements when necessary on top of that ie Colo leaving. 1/2 would be a striker and winger with young CB possibly coming in to push Williamson away from the squad. Sammy/Fergie should go on loan as they dont look close to being worthwhile atm. I know i'm WILDLY on my own here, but i can imagine Sammy being a decent prem player in a couple of years. Sometime tall lads take a bit longer. He needs some lungs and strength but i think that will come. Needs to read the game obviously but is very tricky with the ball, if he's in the opponents box i reckon he's a mare to play against, wouldn't know when to tackle. Fergie, i'm not so sure about. As you say though, loans for now!

Sounds like you think Bent has more attributes than Cisse. Do you think we could afford Bent? Would it be worth keeping Cisse as his understudy (in your opinion)? Why would I want Bent if we have Cisse? I've just said they're similar. I want someone with a different style to Cisse. Build-up play is key. Ideally a Berbatov type or Benteke Benteke i can see, he's done well and can seem to scare defenders without any help! Berbs, i don't know. We don't have MFs who break beyond the forwards so if someone like Berbs came deep, nice little lay off.......no one making the run into space. Problem. I see where you're coming from, a strong quick guy we can hit it direct to, maybe even a long diagonal and he can worry the defenders, maybe get us a corner or a throw in and the whole team can move up the pitch. Territorial advantage.

Sounds like you think Bent has more attributes than Cisse. Do you think we could afford Bent? Would it be worth keeping Cisse as his understudy (in your opinion)?

Unless we outbid everyone else i do think it would be unlikely.

Pretty damning tbh. Who would you replace him with? /genuinequestion

Perhaps the thousands are being a bit naïve. Playing to Cisse’s strengths isn’t that simple a matter. The way I see it, at the top level, there’s a real problem with integrating a specialist finisher whose hold up and linking play isn’t that good. You can – a) Play him with more of a target man, but then you have two players who are both looking for the same advanced, central position, albeit for different reasons. b) Try a), but then ask one or the other to move into a secondary, withdrawn or wider role, but then you’re asking one of them to do something they’re not good at. That was the whole Ba / Cisse issue. c) Ask the finisher to play as an all-round striker, which is what we seem to be doing at the moment, but that isn’t working well. d) Don’t ask the finisher to do anything other than play on the shoulders of the CBs, and get the rest of the team to create chances for him. Trouble is, your system lacks the interchanging of positions that can help to open up a defence, and you can look a bit static. It can also feel like you’re playing with 10 men, particularly if you’re up against good opposition. Apart from all that, to make plan d) worthwhile, your finisher has to put away a high percentage of the chances that come his way, and personally I don’t think Cisse’s conversion rate is good enough for that. I think perhaps you're over-thinking it a little. I would say we need people capable of creating space and committing defenders. Ba used to do this for him, and Best did it for Ba pre-Cisse. We have Ben Arfa and Gouffran who can do that. Play Gouffran up ahead of Cisse or have Cisse flanked by both, and he will keep getting the ball around the D where he does what he does best. That sounds like option d), but in practice, the advanced striker has to play some part in the build-up and link with his team-mates, and that's where Cisse's limitations are being exposed. You can't exempt a striker from those tasks and just tell him to wait for chances to come his way. So it's reasonable to consider whether we can get a striker who offers a better package. Who would you suggest who we can afford and might be possibly willing to come?

Italy. Don't know about good career but at least a better one.

Thought last season was going to be an important one for him (obs injury curtailed that). Can't say i've seen much to whet the appetite.

Jonas looks like he should be good at something ffs!

Some things he's good at and some things he's not. If we're going to utilise him then we will have to play to his strengths more. If that means changing the ethos and application of the team then you can see the sense if getting someone in who's more akin to what the manager wants/needs. Hardly rocket science.

Can't say any of our midfielders have looked good enough in all aspects to play as part of a MF duo. Especially as they would largely be playing against a 3 man midfield. Sissoko might do if he can prove he has the fitness, drive an intensity to keep it up over 90 minutes every week.

Yep, if they're desperate I suppose. I don't think they will be though. If they're just a bit unhappy then I doubt we'll let them bail out. Unhappy players tend not to give good performances. Not to say for certain but it's tendency that's been well and numerously times observed.

Ba on the left of a front 3 with Cisse in the middle. Yes, i thought that would work. What with their being a precedent an 'all. Football isn't that simple. Cisse scored at least half his goals in a 4-4-2 as well. Everything he did was amazing when he first came, it was obvious 6 games into the season it wouldn't be the same and it would be a tougher season for him. Just look at Jelavic at Everton. Moyes did't persist with the same thing that worked towards the end of the previous season and it ended with Jelavic coming off the bench for most of the second half of the season. If you actually saw Cisse play, I don't see how you could think everything would be solved and he'd go back to scoring a wonder goal every game if you moved Ba wide and kept him up top. Yeah, if i'd actually seen him play......

Ba on the left of a front 3 with Cisse in the middle. Yes, i thought that would work. What with their being a precedent an 'all.

Would people advocate replacing Marveaux with Ince?

Probably a couple of places higher, but that's not really the point. Also, Chelsea would have done much better as well. That's a good point!!

Glad somebody was seeing what I was seeing... Is anyone saying he was a great finisher a la Shearer?